Multi sport holiday in Spain
| country: | Spain |
| location: | Spanish Pyrenees |
| trip type: | A small group adventure |
| departures: | Summer 2009 dates to be confirmed. Please contact us for details |
| price: | From £625 - £645 (6 days) excluding flights, based on 2 sharing and depending on number of activity options chosen. Price includes accommodation, transfers and some meals. We can arrange flights from the UK |
| late availability: | Late availability for 13 Sep 2008 |
the amazing things you'll be doing
The Spanish Pyrenees have become an adventure sports hotspot and at the heart of the revolution is the town of Sort. From our base we walk, kayak, canyon twice, hydrospeed and negotiate the rapids of the Noguera Palleresa River during a breathtaking day of white water rafting.
Accommodation
Our base for our Pyrenean Activity week is the Hotel Pey in the picturesque town of Sort. This family run hotel overlooks the river and the owner has been dubbed ‘a holiday highlight in his own right’. You are guaranteed to be welcomed with open arms. Your accommodation is in en-suite bedrooms. There is a swimming pool, a small games room in the basement and a sauna for you to relax in after your activity day provided you request it in the morning. The hotel has a spacious bar and lounge area and the town itself has a number of small bars along the main street. The hotel does not provide evening meals, but there are a number of local Catalan restaurants, tapas bars and a pizzeria offering excellent food at very reasonable prices.
Accommodation
Our base for our Pyrenean Activity week is the Hotel Pey in the picturesque town of Sort. This family run hotel overlooks the river and the owner has been dubbed ‘a holiday highlight in his own right’. You are guaranteed to be welcomed with open arms. Your accommodation is in en-suite bedrooms. There is a swimming pool, a small games room in the basement and a sauna for you to relax in after your activity day provided you request it in the morning. The hotel has a spacious bar and lounge area and the town itself has a number of small bars along the main street. The hotel does not provide evening meals, but there are a number of local Catalan restaurants, tapas bars and a pizzeria offering excellent food at very reasonable prices.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Transfers and Dinner. We will meet you at Barcelona Airport for the transfer into the Pyrenees. This evening your guide will host an introductory meeting and dinner. |
| Day 2: | Canyoning level I & open kayaks. In the morning we’ve got two canyoning sessions laid on for you. This introduction is fabulous fun and will prepare you for a tougher challenge on day 5. Slide, jump, abseil and swim as we work our way down the canyon. In the afternoon, our introduction to the Noguera Palleresa River is in inflatable open kayaks - the perfect way to get to know the water! It’s just you, a kayak and a paddle against the white water as we negotiate our course downstream. For safety reasons, our instructors will decide whether you have a single or two-person kayak. |
| Day 3: | Cycling. What would you be doing at home? Watching “Saturday Kitchen”, shopping perhaps, mowing the lawn, cleaning the car? Exploring the breathtaking Pyrenees by bike is a tad more exciting. Stunning views are top of the agenda on our full day ride. Picnic lunch included. |
| Day 4: | White Water Rafting. Possibly the best day of white water rafting anywhere in Europe. The five hour descent requires skill and concentration as you encounter the Noguera’s numerous rapids. Further down river, some calmer stretches allow you to catch your breath and absorb the remarkable scenery as you pass through the canyonlands. Lunch in a riverside restaurant is just the icing on the cake. Today’s experience will linger long in the memory. |
| Day 5: | Free time or hydrospeed & canyoning level II. Hydrospeeding is one of the most extreme water sports we have encountered and experience tells us that you will either love it or loathe it. That’s why we have made it an optional activity. Our guide will explain how to sign up at the welcome meeting day 1. In the afternoon you need to rouse those aching muscles one last time as we put the experience learned day 2 to good use. Once again, it’s ducks, dives, slides and abseils but this time the canyon is more challenging. Are you up for it? Tonight’s farewell dinner marks the end of an adrenaline filled activity holiday. Hopefully, you will be taking home a million happy memories. |
| Day 6: | Return transfers. We head back to Barcelona Airport. Many of our clients take this opportunity to extend their stay and spend a few days in fabulous Barcelona. We can help you organise flights to suit. |
how this holiday makes a difference
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The Pallars Sobera Region is the base for this exciting holiday in the Catalan Pyrenees. Specifically we are based in the small town of Sort on the banks of the Noguera Pallaresa river, where all the water based activities take place. The Hotel Pey is run by the Salvans Family, one of the most important families in the region with a fierce commitment to the protection of the Catalan culture, environment and language, whilst pioneering the development of the local economy through tourism and by only working with companies who share this philosophy. Accommodation is strictly limited in the area which allows careful management of tourism in terms of numbers. The hotel promotes the responsible use of natural resources and encourages guests to re-use towels rather than submit them for daily cleaning.
Our activity partners, Carlos and Lluis Rabeneda, are equally committed to the promotion and protection of the local Catalan culture and this infuses every aspect of their business. Guides and Instructors must not only demonstrate their professionalism and ability, but also have to be seen to endorse and practice the company’s policy. They believe wholeheartedly in impressing upon visitors that it is possible to enjoy a wonderful holiday but still be responsible to the environment. This is particularly highlighted during the Trek in the Aigues Tortes National Park on the first activity day. At the entrance to the National Park clients are shown a collage made up of some 10,000 cigarette ends which were collected in one day of environmental clean up in the National Park. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |